What Might Have Been
by Benjamin Bradt
Summary: "Maybe . . . when the war is over, you can run away and join the circus with us . . ." Jokingly, she'd put the note in the suggestion box. But what if he'd chosen love over destiny? Riou x Eilie


"Come one, come all!" The voice boomed loudly, echoing through the small town. The people came in droves, drawn by the call of the giant's voice. The man who called out to them seemed almost impossible; he was massive, at least seven feet in height, every inch of his mostly naked body covered in rippling muscle. In contrast to his muscular frame, his face had a cherubic, almost infantine quality; the blue eyes gleamed innocently out of a smooth face, the only hair to speak of a single lock of flaxen blond that hung over his forehead. "Ladies and gentlemen!" The barker, dressed in a diaper and chains, punctuated the phrase by spewing fire into the sky. "Come one, come all, to witness feats of dexterity!" He tossed the torch into his other hand, sending another ball of flame skyward, "Come witness the mystery of the fates!" He stuffed the torch into his open mouth, ignoring the shocked cries of the onlookers as his lips closed around the glowing flame. He withdrew the extinguished torch, "For your amusement, witness . . . Circus Dunan!" He belched a smoke ring, jabbing the torch through the center hole, causing the children to giggle.

The people, made sufficiently curious by the fire eater who towered over the tallest of them by two feet, eagerly passed him and entered the small cluster of tents. From one, a brown-haired woman waved them over; "Flavored ice! Get your flavored ice here! Short Cakes, good enough to turn a Black Dragon green with envy!" She eagerly collected potch from children's fingers, setting cups of cake and other treats into their hands. Her pink ghi was covered with flour and starch, stained from he many cooking ingredients she'd handled that morning, but there was a simple beauty about her, with her wide green eyes and short brown hair.

"What do you have for someone looking to try new things?" A man emerged, dressed in silken fineries. His purse hung ponderously from his waist, jingling as he fished a few coins from it.

"Nanami Ice!" The vendor grinned and offered up a cup, "A Circus Dunan specialty!"

The man took a bite and then turned positively green, scurrying away despite her shouts. "Hey mister, you forgot to pay! HEY!!" She stomped her foot. "Aww man, not another one. Why doesn't anyone appreciate my genius?"

"Don't let it get you down, Nami." The fire eater picked up another cup of Nanami Ice and poured it into his mouth, sighing as the ice chilled his tongue. "I think it's great; nothing puts out the burn like Nanami Ice."

The girl punched him playfully in the arm, "Not to belittle your praise, but you eat everything, Bolgan. I don't even think you taste half the foods you eat." The big man grinned and relit his torch, blowing more flame skyward as he left the concession stand. Shaking her head, the girl returned to her customers, the frown replaced with a broad smile.

Down the way, past a minstrel troupe that played a merry tune and the auburn-haired woman who danced hypnotically to the sway of the song, sat a beautiful woman and her crystal ball. Elegant, olive tan fingers deftly shuffled her tarot cards as a man sat across form her, his eyes keenly trying to spot the curvature of her cleavage as it descended into her black blouse. Her full, ruby lips curled into a playful smile as she spotted his wandering gaze; she uncrossed and crossed her shapely legs, the jingling of her bangle anklets ringing clearly through her long green skirt, getting his attention. "You wish to know what the fates have in store for you?"

The handsome youth grinned, nodding. The woman batted her eyelashes coyly as she laid out the cards; feigning surprise, she tapped one card with a manicured fingernail. "The cards tell me that love is on your mind, and very prominent in your future." His gaze faltered to the cards, surprised at the accuracy of her words. "You have many women who look fondly upon you, but none that you consider as intimate as love."

"Yes, tell me more." The youth leaned forward, attention locked on the mercurial depths of her brown eyes. "Will I find someone that close to me?"

"You already have found her." She flashed him a grin, ivory teeth glinting in the sunlight, "She is closer than you think, and in the days to come, you'll see who she really is."

The man boldly laid a hand over hers, "Are you making an offer? Because I think I could be very intimately close to you, very easily."

The tent canvas ruffled as someone came through the side, setting a pot of hot water on the table next to her crystal, cautious of the tarot cards. "Here's the hot tea for your tea leaf reading, Rina." She did not have to look up to know who he was; she could see him clearly in her mind. Long sable hair, handsome face with an almost boyish innocence still hiding in the expression. A body hardened by war, movements smooth from diligent martial arts training, a few scars to show the experience he held. The simple shirt and black pants made him look ruggedly handsome, but she remembered the armored regalia he wore into war, and the powerful majesty he carried with it, like a mantle wrapped around his shoulders.

The flirtatious grin seemed to evaporate, and a sincere expression of desire crossed her elegant features. "I would, my charming little Romeo." Rina smiled and withdrew her hand, "But my heart is already spoken for." She rose and languidly draped her arms around the shoulders of the man who'd brought in the tea pot. "For my true love here is just and kind," she said softly, lips mere inches from his ear, her breath making the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end. "And he knows me more intimately than any man should." The man's face turned a dark red and he stiffened as she kissed his cheek.

"Fine," the would-be suitor threw a handful of potch down on the table, "I could do much better than a gypsy fortune teller anyway." He stomped out, slamming the tent flap behind him.

Rina smiled, not releasing the visitor, "Thank you for saving me from yet another aggressive suitor." She batted her eyes at him, "How can I ever repay you?"

The man's mouth dropped as he spoke in a broken whisper. "It's n-n-not f-fair to t-t-tease me like that Rina."

She laughed, "But it's so much fun. You respond so well to my every advance, it'd be criminal to ignore my impulses." She pressed herself against him, idly twirling a lock of his brown hair, "See?"

Were it possible, steam would be spraying out of his ears. As Rina moved in to kiss him, a voice called from outside the tent. "Hey, come on Riou! It's time for the show!"

"Saved by the bell." He slipped out of the fortune teller's arms and out of the tent, not seeing the eager grin on her lips. Although the game was the most delightful distraction she'd ever had, she knew his heart belonged to another.

Standing at the edge of a dirt circle, people noisily gathered around, Eilie glowered at Riou as he approached. "What took you so long? These people want a show!"

"Sorry," Riou smiled at her as he ran past, not seeing the way her cheeks flushed as he did. "I promised Rina I'd make her a pot of tea for the next readings." He stepped into the circle, back against an old tree. "Sorry for the wait, ladies and gentlemen. Without further ado, I present the talented Eilie, and her human target!" The crowd applauded as he produced a pair of wooden bull's eyes, hanging one from each outstretched hand.

"Complete silence, please." Eilie set about meticulously polishing the seven throwing knives she produced from her bodice. Without actually looking at him she let two blades fly, each one burying itself into one of the targets with a resounding 'thunk'. The crowd gasped in amazement at her flawless aim, each knife perfectly centered on the target's yellow center. _If Rina had him waylaid, she thought in annoyance, then it's a safe bet she was draped all over him._ She stomped a foot and hurled the third knife, the audience squealing as it buried itself into a wooden plate clutched in Riou's teeth. _It's not enough that she's the pretty sister, it's not enough that every guy who comes along treats me like I'm her kid brother; she has to have the one guy I might actually care about too! Why does she have to get everything she wants?!_ She followed it up with two more, each one gliding perfectly into the leather knife sheaths that her partner had brandished during her reverie.

"And now, for our final trick!" The audience applauded as he brandished a pair of apples, setting one on each shoulder.

"Complete silence, PLEASE." Eilie clasped one knife in each hand, meeting Riou's eyes. So warm, so comforting, the contact of his gaze made her pulse race, a tremble running through her fingers. _Why does he have to be so damned handsome?_ "If I'm off by even a hair, this handsome young man could be scarred for life, even killed. So I will need your absolute silence." The people fell silent; the only noise the thunderous pounding of her heart as she stared into his eyes.

Looking into the expressionless eyes of his partner, Riou knew she was concentrating on the trick, clearing her mind of distractions. They'd done the same trick, or slight variations of it, a hundred times since they first met in Ryube; every time they did it, she was so nervous that she could hardly stand. But not him, he was sure that her hand would be steady, that she would not slip.

Everything paused for a second as her hands came up, the knives flipping up so that the blades were clutched lightly between her fingers. In slow motion her arms descended, the silver blades gleaming against her olive tan skin as the swing reached its apex.

The first knife spun end over end, burying itself into the apple on his left shoulder and sending a spray of its juices up as it pitched off his shoulder and onto the ground. The second knife-

"CHOKE!" A heckler from the crowd shouted, his voice skewing her concentration.

Her fingers jerked, releasing the second knife prematurely. It spun erratically through the air as it neared Riou. The crowd leapt up and shrieked in anticipation as . . .

. . . the knife bit deeply into the apple, sending it spinning to the ground. The crowd cheered as Riou grabbed the apples up, holding them proudly so that people could see the knives protruding from them. Some hooped and hollered, others threw handfuls of coins.

Eilie could not take her eyes off the lock of brown hair that was gently drifting to the ground. She has hit him. As Riou turned to grin proudly at her, he found her running away, plunging into the shadows of the forest nearby. "Bolgan!" Riou shouted to the fire eater as he took chase, the bigger man sweeping the discarded coins up into a top hat.

"Eilie!" Riou raced into the forest, but the knife thrower was much faster than him, and he soon lost sight of her. "Eilie, DAMMIT, come out here!" She did not respond, and after several minutes, he disappeared from the woods.

From her place in the tree, she watched him go, her tears wet with cheeks. She'd hit him, drawn blood from the only man she'd ever loved. How could she live with herself? How could he ever love someone that had cut him? That had been so careless with his handsome face? "Oh Gods, why do I have to be so stupid?"

"Who's stupid?" Riou, perched on the branch above her, leaned down. "Are you beating yourself up again?"

Eilie screeched in surprise as she fell off the branch, landing roughly on her butt. Rubbing her bruise, she scowled up at him, "How the hell did you . . . never mind, just forget it." Trying to salvage her pride, she rose and started back to camp.

Riou dropped down and stepped in front of her, "What's wrong with you? The people loved you! They must have thrown ten thousand potch down at your feet!"

"So?!" Eilie looked incredulously at him, "Did you not notice that I HIT you with a dagger?!" She brushed over his left temple, her hand coming back bloody. "I cut you Riou, I could have killed you! How can that not matter to you?"

Riou chuckled and ran a hand over the shallow cut; the Bright Shield Rune flared a luminous green, and in seconds, the wound was gone. "What wound?" Eilie rolled her eyes and started to push past him, but he stopped her. "Look, alright; yes, you hit me, so what? I knew that the knife might hit me, but it wouldn't kill me. You'd never kill me," he added with a grin.

Eilie scowled furiously, her cheeks turning red. "You KNEW I was going to hit you?! You arrogant jerk!" She punched him in the arm, "You knew this whole time that I was going to miss, and you still didn't move!" She punched him again, "This is your fault! If you'd just moved then I wouldn't feel so bad!" She pushed him hard and turned her back on him, crossing her arms defensively.

Riou sighed and approached her, "Eilie . . . look at me . . ." When she ignored him he turned her around, cupping her chin in one hand. "Eilie, I'm sorry I teased you. I didn't realize you were so upset about this."

She opened her eyes, allowing a fresh cascade of tears to run down her cheeks, "When I felt the knife slip out of my fingers, I-"

"It's alright now." Riou put two fingers over her lips, taking her hand in his and brushing her fingers over the pale scar that ran across his left temple, just over where the cut had been moments before. "Do you remember this scar? You gave it to me in Ryube, remember?"

"Don't remind me," she sighed sadly and looked at him, her eyes red from crying, "I hit you back then too."

"You grazed me because I moved." He smiled at her as he cupped her face, stroking her cheek with one thumb. "The crowd's gaze was so oppressive that I couldn't stop trembling; half of them wanted you to hit me in the eye, half wanted you to hit the apple. I was scared, and thought that your knife was going to hit me, so I moved to the left; not much, just enough to unintentionally get in the dagger's path. I thought about moving this time, but I didn't, because I wanted you to know that I trust you implicitly." She closed her eyes, nuzzling his hand, "When you left that note in the suggestion box, I thought 'Does she really think that would work? Just leave the army under the cover of nightfall, run away and join the circus with you, Rina, and Bolgan.' It seemed so ludicrous back then; but here we are, three years later, travelling the new providence of Dunan, a circus group."

"I didn't tell you to bring your sister." She teased.

"I didn't tell her to come; she announced that she was going to open a concession stand." He smiled warmly, "And thank you for teaching her how to cook."

She moved closer, slipping her arms around his waist as she laid her cheek on his chest. "I still can't believe that you ran away with me- with US . . . with us, the three of us . . ."

"I ran away with you, Eilie." He tipped her chin up and kissed her lips, feeling her melt into him as he did. He closed his eyes and swam in the sensation of their hearts beating in unison; three years ago, on the night after they'd sealed the beast rune, Riou packed a bag and ran away from his destiny. To hell with Dunan, to hell with the Rune of Beginnings, all he wanted was a shred of normalcy; so he took up the offer a gypsy juggler had passed him jokingly, and never looked back. He broke the kiss a few minutes later, gazing lovingly at her pretty face. As long as he'd known her, Eilie had been convinced that Rina was a thousand times prettier than she; too plain, too boyish, her hair too short, her eyes too far apart. The girl had spent a lifetime telling everyone that she was the ugly one, but when Riou looked at her, there was no one else. She opened her eyes slowly, fixing him with that drunk, half-lidded gaze that meant she was his. "I love you, Eilie; I have always been in love with you, and nothing will ever change that. Nothing could."

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, devouring his lips as if she had that instant to prove to him that there would never be another. Only when her need for him was matched by her need for air did she break the kiss, the both of them panting for more than want of air. She buried her face in his shoulder, arms still draped around his neck. "Take me to bed, Riou." Her voice was soft, but firm.

He easily picked her up, cradling her in his arms. "Are you certain?"

"I've been in love with you for three years, Riou." She did not look at him while she spoke, "I'm almost ashamed that it's taken me so long to be honest about it."

"There's no rush," he said as he started for the inn where they were staying, "We have a lifetime to make up for it."


End file.
